


He's as sick as a dog!

by hauwu



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Dogs, Gen, Sick Character, but mostly daikichi-kun, just one dog, well mentions of the other ones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 19:41:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18817684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hauwu/pseuds/hauwu
Summary: Akehoshi-kun gets sick while walking his dog at school... the rest of Trickstar helps him out.





	He's as sick as a dog!

**Author's Note:**

> hi this has no point at all its extremely self indulgent and terribly written but i really like trickstar and sick fics make me happy so!!  
> (this hasnt been beta'd bc im really lazy)  
> (also this is the first thing ive written and posted here so :3c)

The sunset’s warm glow was what woke Subaru up. Pink and orange light dancing across his features made his nose itch, and he blinked his eyes open. Subaru slowly examined his surroundings, exhaustion still prevalent. He was in the school’s empty infirmary. Of course it was empty. Shifting his gaze to the digital clock on the table by his bedside, he saw what time it was. The clock read 18:36. Bringing his arm up to rub at his eyes, Subaru sighed out, the warm air of his breath brushing his lips. Digging his fingers into the thin sheets for a grip, Subaru pushed himself to a sitting position so his torso was out of the blankets. His body tensed, skin tightening. The air felt like knives against his bones. It was then he realized how cold it was in the infirmary.

 

As a draft sifted through the curtains, Subaru noticed the windows had been left open. He pushed his stiffening fingers into his cheeks, feeling the touch of what felt like ice cubes on his face. With his pounding head and hot skin, he tossed the blankets off of his legs in order to swing them over the side of the bed and stand. The moment his feet hit the ground he saw stars, head spinning in circles. He stumbled to grab the bedpost, steadying himself as he waited for the dizziness to fade. Where was Sagami-chan…? Once his vision refocused, Subaru slowly made his way over to the window shut it. Sliding the glass closed, the room instantly felt warmer.

 

He let out another sigh, but this one ended in a few wet coughs. Why was he in the school at such a late hour? Subaru’s head continued to throb as he tried to recall what had happened.

 

-

 

Subaru didn’t live too far away from Yumenosaki’s campus. The two bedroom house that he shared with his lovely mother and freeloading dog was only a block or two down the road. So on some days after school, or on weekends, one could easily find the orange haired second year trespassing where he shouldn’t be. Subaru often took advantage of Yumenosaki’s excessive land space to run around with his dog (and the school also offers many good places to hide when things get too overwhelming.)

 

Today was one of the days Subaru didn’t have anything to do but walk his dog. Usually this schedule was incredibly boring to him- wake up, go to school, come home, then laze around until he went to bed. These kinds of days felt so wasteful to him.

 

Except, when he rolled out of bed to slam the snooze button on his extremely loud alarm clock, his throat was painfully scratchy and his eyes were terribly bleary. He could breathe in heavily, only to exhale with a coughing fit. Groaning, he slammed his face back into his pillow. The thought of returning home and wrapping himself back into his sheets just for today wasn’t a bad one.

 

Getting ready for school was an absolute nightmare. His mom hadn’t been there in the morning, the only trace of her presence was a small note next to a wrapped-up breakfast. He tried to read what she had written (probably something about when she’d be home) but his mother’s curly penmanship had made his headache ten times worse. He had hardly pulled the plastic seals off of the bowls before giving up on trying to eat breakfast. Grabbing the biggest coat he could find, he slipped out the front door, almost forgetting to lock it behind him.

 

Walking and getting to the campus was even worse. The tread there had been freezing, but looking around, Subaru noticed that other students were just fine in their blazers. He sniffed, shivered, and begrudgingly shoved his hands in his pockets.

 

But when he got to the school he was sweating profusely, panting and coughing into his sleeves. He got a mixture of concerned and disgusted stares from his classmates. (Which was not something he wasn’t used to, but it was still embarrassing to be the center of attention like this.) So he spent the rest of the day stifling coughs and trying not to fall asleep. He couldn’t even focus on the lessons because he was so preoccupied with trying not to hack up a lung onto his desk. Not that he would usually pay attention in class, but still.

 

Class had ended for lunch, but Subaru had been spacing out. Makoto waved a hand in front of his face to get him to snap out of it.

  
  
“Akehoshi-kun? Hello…?” Makoto whispered to him, and the blond’s voice was just about the best thing Subaru had heard all day.

 

The last thing Subaru wanted was to make his friends worry about some stupid cold he had caught. But it was so hard. Subaru wasn’t stupid-- in fact, he was surprisingly perceptive. He knew he had been acting different all day; no reckless jumping around the classroom, no outrageous yelling-- All the things that made Subaru _Subaru_ had completely vanished that morning.

 

He should’ve just skipped. It’d be impossible to hide this from the people closest to him. Makoto probably already suspected something.

 

“Akehoshi-kun! Are you-” Makoto spoke up again. But Subaru interrupted by standing, his chair scratching against the floor as it was pushed back. The action surprised the blond, and Makoto jumped back slightly.

 

“...It’s lunch time, right?” Subaru asked with a forced smile, “I’m gonna go get some food then! Be right back, Ukki!” Without waiting for any kind of response, Subaru bolted out of the classroom and down the hallway.

 

Makoto stood there, stunned. That behavior was very strange. Subaru even sounded strange, his voice seemed unusually raspy. And was Subaru running the wrong way? He turned to Hokuto, who had been watching the whole thing from his desk. Trickstar's leader didn’t look too concerned, though. He waved his hand, summoning Makoto to him.

 

“He’s just being weird, Yuuki. I’d just ignore him for now,” He said before picking at his packed lunch.

 

“Akehoshi-kun just… isn’t acting normal. But, I guess you’re right, Hidaka-kun. I just hope whatever’s bugging him doesn’t last the whole day…”

 

-

 

It did. Subaru was positive his sleeves were completely covered in mucous and germs by the time school let out. His voice was almost completely gone, to the point he refused to speak. Thank goodness he didn’t have any practice today.

 

But the moment he got home, he had discovered Daikichi had pulled apart a shoe, a roll of toilet paper, and half of Subaru’s Japanese literature textbook from last year. Letting his bag fall to the floor, he dropped to his knees in the entrance way. Of course Daikichi would have this much excess energy today. The day he was literally dying. He shoved his face into the floorboards, groaning in frustration as Daikichi licked his face in a wet greeting.

 

“I’m back, Daikichi…” He moaned into the wood. Daikichi yipped cheerfully in response. Subaru could only laugh at his ridiculous dog.

 

“I bet you expect a walk now, right? After you destroy my house!” He choked out, in a false scolding tone. Daikichi, who was a dog, did not understand the words. The dog only barked again in excitement, his tail swaying from side to side. Subaru felt like crying.

 

Hooking up Daikichi to his infamous red leash, Subaru contemplated wearing a scarf. Would he look too suspicious in a winter coat and wool scarf? It was only September. The small shiba scuffled around the door entrance, impatient. Subaru whined, leaving the scarf and pushing the door open.

 

Subaru mindlessly followed the dog on their usual walking route. Down the two blocks to the school, a lap around the campus, and then back home. Subaru liked this small walk. If he was lucky, he could run into some interesting people and have a fun conversation about some upcoming event or a current problem. He liked talking to most his classmates. Today, however, he just wanted to be left alone.

 

He went to open up his mouth and cover up his lips with his hand to yawn, but quickly changed his mind. The movement made his throat burn.

 

-

 

Hokuto had been at the theatre club all afternoon. The... _enthusiasm_ that Wataru constantly presented had left him emotionally drained. Shoulders slumped as he walked, Hokuto thought of all the work he had to complete tonight- for his classes, club, and unit.

 

It almost made him feel like not going home. But Hokuto was too responsible for that.

 

He pulled at the cuffs of his sleeves. He sighed, letting the chilled September air seep into his skin. It could’ve been cold, but Hokuto only felt refreshed. The slight nip that the breeze brought reminded him that he was alive. Contentment settled in his heart as he took the moment to reflect. Hokuto let his eyelids close.

 

Hokuto truly loved his unit. Even imagining their faces with their bright warm smiles made his chest inflate with love. He grinned to himself, opening his eyes. Instantly, he felt his posture return. With this new motivated mindset, Hokuto started to walk a little faster.

 

And then he turned a corner, now only a straight shot from the front gates of the school. That was when he heard the high pitched, frantic barking. Instinctively, he turned his head to the direction of the noise. At first he was confused, out of surprise. But after a few more barks, and a second to think about the situation, Hokuto slowly started to piece things together. Students had dogs. And students brought their dogs to campus sometimes. However, Hokuto only knew of three dogs that this could possibly be. Koga’s dog Leon, who was too well trained to be barking with such lack of discipline, Tori’s dog King, who was too big of a canine to be making such quick yaps. That left only one option… Daikichi. Subaru’s dog. Hokuto chuckled lightly, and before starting to move toward the dog, the second year couldn’t help but think of how excited he was to see Subaru’s face before going home.

 

Until he actually saw him. About half way to Subaru, Hokuto had found Daikichi. The dog was perched up, scraping up bark off an innocent tree while barking at a bird on one of the higher branches. The mini-shiba had his red leash attached. Hokuto concluded that Subaru had accidentally let go of the leash. It wasn’t improbable, as Subaru has been distracted before.

 

Hokuto picked up the leash by the loop at the top, quickly calling to Daikichi to get him to stop. The dog complied, trotting back over to Hokuto happily.

 

“Subaru!” He said, once he noticed Subaru wasn’t in sight. When he didn’t get a response, Hokuto got confused. He tried again, slightly louder. Again, no response. That’s when Trickstar’s leader started to get worried.

 

But just a few more steps and around a strangely placed bush, Hokuto discovered Subaru’s unconscious body, face down in the dirt.

 

It took a moment to register, but a twitch of Subaru’s fingers threw Hokuto back into reality. Dropping the leash himself, the second year rushed to his friend’s side and started to shake him slightly.

 

“Subaru, what are you doing-” Hokuto said hurriedly, “Get up... stop joking around!”

 

Subaru groaned, shivering as he woke. Hokuto only watched as his friend tried to push himself up out of the dirt, only to fail and slip back into it.

 

“H-Hokuto…?” Subaru questioned, opening his eyes for a moment before deciding it was to bright and closing them again.

 

“Subaru, what’s wrong with you?” Hokuto asked. Subaru smiled faintly before laughing. It sounded more like a strained wheeze than a laugh. After, the boy’s chest convulsed and he coughed, wet and rough, into the ground beneath him.

 

Hokuto was shocked. How did Subaru get so sick? The illness explained his behavior earlier that day, but Subaru hadn’t looked nearly this awful during class. Hokuto reached over to his friend, placing his fingers on the boys neck, then retracting it. Subaru definitely had a fever.

 

Hokuto breathed out, preparing himself for what had to come next.

 

“Alright Subaru. We have to get you to the infirmary,” Hokuto said, reaching his hands out underneath Subaru’s arms, “I need you to help me get you standing.”

 

With a little struggle, Hokuto got Subaru kneeling. Eventually, Hokuto was able to push himself and Subaru to their feet, with Subaru’s arm around his shoulders. Now they just had to get to get across campus to the infirmary.

 

“Let’s go…” Hokuto said, trying to keep them stable as they walked forward.

 

Subaru’s head had completely fell forward, and Hokuto would have thought Subaru had passed out again, if the other second year didn’t speak out.

 

“D-Dai… Daiki…”

 

“Daikichi-kun?” Hokuto guessed, and the dog behind them yipped in response. Hokuto smiled.

 

“He’s following behind us. Don’t worry, Subaru.” Subaru groaned in response.

 

-

 

Makoto and Mao had been in the 2-B classroom that afternoon. Mao had some unfinished student council work and was forced to stay after school to fill out paperwork. Makoto didn’t have anything especially important happening that day, but he felt bad going home while Mao had to stay behind. He decided to accompany his unitmate while he worked, and maybe help out if he could.

 

They had been leaving the classroom to walk home when they ran into the strange trio stumbling down the hallway. Makoto watched, completely stunned, as Hokuto limped down the hallway dragging an unconscious Subaru with him.

 

It was Mao who exclaimed, “What happened?” And rushed to Subaru’s other side. Mao pulled Subaru’s free arm over his own shoulders to provide support. With half of the weight taken off of his back, Hokuto sighed in relief before explaining the situation.

 

“I just found him and Daikichi-kun” The dog barked behind them, “By the front gate. Subaru’s dying.”

 

“Akehoshi-kun’s d-dying?” Makoto finally spoke up.

 

“He’s just sick, I think.” Mao replied fast, quickly suppressing Makoto’s worries, “We’re just taking him to the infirmary, right?”

 

Hokuto nodded before adding, “Makoto, can you grab Daikichi’s leash? He’s been following us so far, but I don’t know how long that will last.”

  
  
Makoto nodded, bending down to pick up the red leash. It was covered in mud and leaves, no doubt from being dragged in the grass behind Daikichi.

 

“...Gross,” Makoto remarked, just as Subaru went into another disgusting coughing fit.

 

-

 

Subaru placed his throbbing head into his hands. How embarrassing… He had spent the entire day trying to avoid becoming a burden on his precious teammates, but ended up causing them more trouble than ever.

 

He used his fingers to comb through his fussed hair, but stopped halfway.

 

“Where’s Daikichi?” He said out loud, feeling the words scratch against his throat.

 

And that’s when he realized that he was alone. With the sun setting behind him.

 

-

 

After they had dropped Subaru off in the infirmary, and after Mao had finished fussing over their fallen comrade, the three remaining boys decided to return to the 2-A classroom with Daikichi. They had no idea what to do really, and the school would surely close down soon.

 

“Should… we tell his mom? Or something?” Makoto suggested.

 

“I don’t have her number. Do either of you do?” Hokuto asked in response. Makoto and Mao shook their heads.

 

“Not that I’d want it,”

 

“He’s not going to sleep forever. We could just wait for him. Besides, Daikichi-” The dog yapped at the sound of his name, “Needs someone to watch over him.”

 

Hokuto shrugged, pulling a chair from a random desk and sitting in it. Mao and Makoto did the same, and Daikichi whimpered from the floor.

 

“...Have either of you ever watched a dog before…?”

 

None of them had experience with dogs, and it wasn't surprising to find that Daikichi had taken after Subaru’s endless energy. A few moments after sitting down, Daikichi had begun to excitedly hop around underneath desks and chairs, even knocking a few of them over.

 

“Well, catch him! He’s going to destroy the whole classroom at this rate!”

 

It took the boys a few tries, for every time one of them got close enough to grab at the small dog, Daikichi took off again. Hokuto even managed a very impressive dive, smacking himself head first into the wall.

 

“W-wait, wait, wait. Let me try something!” Mao interrupted giggling slightly, as Hokuto rubbed at his forehead.

 

“What?”

 

Mao dug around through his pockets before pulling out a 500 yen coin. He was going to buy something for himself after school let out, but this seemed more important.

 

“Here, here, Daikichi!” Mao cooed at the dog, waving the coin in the air. Daikichi instantly perked up with a quick yap.

 

“Oh my god,” Makoto said, shocked at the scene unraveling in front of him. Mao ushered the blond toward him with his free hand.

 

“When he gets close enough, grab him!” Mao whispered, keeping quiet so Daikichi couldn't hear. As if the dog could understand him.

 

But Makoto didn’t need to. Once Daikichi had padded over to Mao’s feet, he sat down and stared up at gold coin. He barked again, expectantly.

 

“He’s really spoiled, isn’t he?” Hokuto smiled, despite the very obvious red mark on his forehead. That was going to bruise later, for sure.

 

“Like… father like son, I guess.” Mao laughed in return, thinking about their friend in the infirmary.

 

To combat the rowdy animal, Makoto suggested pushing all the desks and chairs to the back of the room. This would give the animal more space, and maybe make it easier to catch him next time. Hokuto nodded in agreement, and helped Makoto move the wooden tables and chairs. Mao sat on the floor, holding Daikichi stable in his lap. With the dog in his arms, Mao was able to spend a moment inspecting it. The dog’s fur was incredibly soft and neat... It was obvious Subaru took lots of care in pampering his pet.

 

After Makoto and Hokuto cleared the room, Mao let the dog go. Excited, Daikichi lept from Mao’s legs and the boy let out a sigh of relief. The animal couldn’t get into any trouble now, right?

 

Mao was wrong.

 

Hokuto had decided to pull out the work that needed to be done for Trickstar’s next live. Most of it were papers that needed signatures, but Hokuto also had notes and plans for the performance. Some of the choreography, a directory of the song they were planning on competing with, and even some outfit design sketches that Anzu had graciously lent to them.

 

Quietly, they were planning and discussing the performance. Until Makoto suddenly remembered that they were supposed to be watching their missing member’s dog. He turned his head in search of the furry little animal and found him pawing at and chewing on something in the corner. Makoto dismissed it, then threw his head around to stare at the dog again. What could he possibly be chewing on…? He decided to check it out.

 

As he moved closer to Daikichi, what he was chewing on became clear. It was a plastic pen.

 

That promptly exploded after Makoto recognized the object.

 

“What the- Shit!” He exclaimed, catching the attention of Mao and Hokuto. The puddle of ink was only growing, and now Daikichi was covered in the black sticky substance.

 

“Makoto-” Mao sputtered, “Makoto, you can’t just say that-”

 

“Why?!” Hokuto interrupted, yelling at the dog, “Why would you think that’s okay?!” The dog yipped cheerfully in response, ink dripping from his tongue.

 

“Okay-” Mao said in between laughs, “Just grab him, before he-” Mao reached into his pocket, retrieving the coin once more. It had a similar effect as last time, but instead of obediently walking over to Mao, Daikichi took off at full speed toward the second year.

 

Daikichi ran through the ink puddle in front of him, his nails scratching at the wooden floor as he slipped in the liquid, and proceeded to charge right into Mao, making sure not to miss wiping his paws all over the papers Hokuto had left carelessly on the floor (which resulted in a very loud, "Daikichi-kun, no!" from Trickstar's leader.) But when Daikichi reached Mao, the force of the animal knocked him over, and Mao yelped in confusion.

 

That was when the door to the classroom slid open to reveal a slightly flushed, heavy breathing Subaru.

 

-

 

The orange haired second year had fled the infirmary with a sense of fear piercing his heart. He was sure that Hokuto, Makoto, and Mao had left to go home. It was almost seven in the evening, and he couldn’t expect them to stay around on campus for that long. They must’ve gotten hungry, or tired, and gone home. But there was no way Subaru could stay in this school by himself after it got dark. And the fact that he lost his _dog_ wasn’t helping at all. Subaru’s breath hitched as he ran through the hallway of the school, heading toward the front doors. His sneakers squeaked against the floor.

 

He kept running despite his unusual shortness of breath until he heard a strange cry come from the 2-A classroom. In pure curiosity, and slight hope, Subaru pulled the sliding door open to find the rest of his unit and his dog. Daikichi was standing on Mao’s chest, licking at the boy’s face with a black tongue. Subaru thought this was strange until he noticed the black inky paw prints on the floor and all over a pile of papers in the middle of the room.

 

He looked between Hokuto, Mao, and Makoto.

 

“H-Hokke… Sari… Ukki-” He managed, before slumping against the doorway. God, he was dizzy.

 

“Akehoshi-kun, be careful-” Makoto exclaimed, but before he continue, Subaru opened his mouth again.

 

“I… I thought you all went home…?” He breathed out.

 

“No. We stayed and waited… We… We’d never leave you like that,” Hokuto answered awkwardly. Because truthfully, Hokuto did leave him like that. If it hadn't been for Chiaki and the rest of Ryuseitai, what could've happened that night Subaru had been left alone in that dark practice room? 

 

Subaru smiled anyway. He gripped at the door frame, chest swelling with emotion. Tears of relief started to prick at his eyes. Because finally, he had friends he could count on.

 

“...Thanks,” He replied, sincerely.

**Author's Note:**

> lmao fuck that ending right i just got tired and couldnt think of anything to finish it with  
> follow me on twitter @hauwuu


End file.
